Kaenu
by QuestioningMyHeart
Summary: Are you a fan of Garth Nix or Christopher Paolini? Do you like Fantasy/Romance? Then you will probably enjoy this story with mystical creatures, interesting races and characters, and a lot of little twists and turns. Read on and don't be afraid to review!
1. Prologue

PROLOGUE

**T**he morning was crisp and the air carried the scent of recent rain. Dew drops on flowers glistened from the rising sun. A clear stream was gurgling with small silver minnows darting here and there. Nearby the stream lay a tattered tent. A man crawled through the flap on the tent and walked over to the beautiful stream. The man was exceptionally tall and muscular. He crouched down and rubbed water on his face, the droplets landing on his beard. The man was in his early twenties but the beard was deceiving. He had long knotted brown hair and he had thick eyebrows. His brown eyes looked up from the stream in the direction of the mountains which lay far beyond the valley.

Hundreds of miles away on the mountains rested a huge fortress. The castle beyond the massive walls was made of white marble. The castle blended in with the surrounding snow caps making it nearly invisible. There were four watchtowers in front of the castle with two others on the sides and inside each watchtower lay a pedestal with a huge gem on top. The red gems gleamed and glinted in the sunlight and there was a soft mystifying glow coming from within. A soldier wearing hard leather armor and a helmet was standing guard nearby. The soldier was slumped against the tower wall sleeping. The castle had a sinister silence to it and was suddenly interrupted by a blood-curdling scream. In the topmost tower of the castle, a man was being flogged. He kneeled in a puddle of his own blood not only coming from the lashes in his back but from his wrists and ankles as well. His shackles were so tight that the skin was chafed and torn open. His piercing cries were so loud that literally all other sounds were blocked out. The flogger stopped hitting him and the man replaced the screams with pain-filled whimpers. A couple of feet away a hooded figure was sitting on a throne looking over the peasant.

"So, are you ready to talk yet?" the figure said, his voice was low and had an enormous amount of power in it. The peasant on the floor shook his head because his throat was raw.

"Well then," the figure continued, "what can you tell me of a woman named Kaenu?"

The man struggled to speak and all he could manage was, "don't know". At this the figure was enraged although he looked indifferent. His cool nature hiding the malice in his eyes. The hooded figure gestured to the husky guard leaning on the wall to kill the man. The guard grabbed the man by his chains and started to drag him. The man mustered one "no" as the guard took him outside to one of the balconies. The guard held him over the edge and he dropped him. The peasant hit a shard of ice protruding from the snow and split in two. Back in the tower the new general came into the room and stood at the foot of the steps to the hooded figure's throne.

"Soto, did the peasant tell you anything?"

Soto just looked at him lost in thought. The General, feeling Soto's eyes on him, looked away at the room. The room was large and cavernous. There was a great ancient rug that covered most of the stone floor. Old books lie on shelves lining the wall to the right of the room. Parchments were stacked on a heavily lacquered desk littered with quills, ink bottles, and a pair magnifying glasses. Heavy draperies hung in front of the balcony entrances shutting out all sunlight.

"No, he was useless." The general focused his attention back on the throne. Soto's voice seemed to be strained.

"Well then, I'll send out the _Shiers_." The general turned on his heel and was about to exit. There was an odd crackling sound and in a split second Soto was standing right behind the general.

"How _dare_ you speak my name as if you are my equal! You are no friend of mine, you serve _me_! You will always address me as your lord." He roared.

"Yes, my lord." The general said shamefacedly.

"_I_ am the one who makes the orders here." Soto continued, "I highly advise you to keep your tongue in line. I will NOT tolerate impudence from such a pathetic excuse of a man, especially from one who has the audacity…!" He bellowed. "Speak to me like that again and even death won't bring you comfort." he whispered menacingly through clenched teeth. Soto's very breath left a slight burn on the general's neck. The general knew very well what Soto was capable of and glancing at the pool of blood on the floor reminded him of what happened to the old general a long time ago. The general was yet again about to exit when Soto grabbed his arm and swung him around so they were face to face. The general could clearly see Soto's face and he was horrified.

"I did not dismiss you. Have you _no _respect for your superior?" When the general failed to speak Soto smacked him across the face with such force that he sent the general flying. The general yelped in pain as he collided into the stone wall. There were three large gashes on his left jaw. "Do we understand now?" He said softly as if to a child. The general nodded.

"Next time you won't leave with mere scratches." Soto was disgusted by the general's tears. "Leave."

"Y-yes, m-my lord." Just talking caused searing pain.

Exiting the room, the general tripped over himself as he quickly walked away with his hand to his face. In another split second and crack Soto was back in his throne and after sitting in eerie silence for several minutes he got up and walked over to the desk signaling the guards to leave. He picked up a map and sat back down on his throne. Looking over the yellowed parchment he said,

"Where are you Kaenu?"


	2. Chapter One

Chapter One

**B**ack past the man by the stream, a woman was awakening. In the middle of the Stagtear forest lay a huge willow tree. The branches were tall and the willow whips hung all the way to the ground. The leaves covering the tree were a sliver-green color with a hint of blue. Within the realm of leaves stood the trunk. The trunk was thirty feet thick; the bark was tan and grooved. On the Northern side of the trunk a tree house was carved. The house was a part of the tree and from out the trap door came the woman climbing down the wooden ladder. The woman was about eighteen years old and her wardrobe consisted of a flowing white silk shirt dusted with gold hawks, brown leather trousers, worn oil skin boots, a blue and black velvet cloak, and a leather bag slung across her back. She also had a bow and quiver slung on her left shoulder and a long sword hanging on her right hip. Looking up, she saw that she had forgotten to close the trap door.

"_Legiime_." She said and the door closed and locked. She turned and walked through the leaves. She was going to the stream today to get some fresh water. Although the stream was far off she could run there. She checked to make sure that her weapons were fastened tight and then she took off. She was a blur against the deep brown of the surrounding trees. It only took her about three hours to reach the edge of the forest where she stopped.

She was about to take another step when she caught the scent. She smelled a man. A man that has been traveling for a long time; she smelled his tent and his own distinctive scent. Vigilantly, she crept up behind a bush and she watched the man's effort to catch a fish. He fashioned a crude spear and was stabbing the water with it. Every strike resulted without a fish and after a few more tries he gave up. Walking back to his tent he threw the spear down in frustration. The woman shook her head and walked out of the forest. The man was still mumbling in anger so he didn't hear her step up behind him.

"You shouldn't give up so easily." She said. Her voice was like flowing water; very soft and gentle. The man in front of her gave a shout of surprise as he whipped around. He looked at the woman and then down at the longsword on her hip. He quickly grabbed the dagger hidden in his boot but, by the time he straightened up again, her sword was pointed at his throat. Her movements were so smooth that he didn't even hear her draw her sword. The blade was silver and had two slivers on the forte of the sword. The hilt was also silver, it formed a loop where it rejoined the base of the blade and made a tight curl. The hilt also had a beautiful gray silk sword knot.

"Alright," he dropped his dagger, "what do you want, miss?" His voice was a little shaken. She lowered her sword, sheathed it, and then she spoke,

"My name is Sable. I saw you trying to catch a fish and I thought that I could help."

The man eased a little and he sat on the ground. He never wondered what a woman would be doing out here. He picked up his dagger and, eyeing her sword, knew that he couldn't win a fight with her even if he tried.

"It's impossible to catch any of those fish. They're all small anyways."

"It's _not_ impossible and there _are_ some decent fish in there."

The man put his hands in his pockets and shrugged as if to say, "Go ahead and see for yourself". Sable picked up the spear and slipped into the stream, the cold water biting at her knees. After waiting a few minutes for the right fish to come along, she stabbed the water and caught a fish. The fish was about twelve inches long and it had yellow-green scales.

"How did you do that?" he gawked.

"You need to hit where they're going, not where their current position is."

He shrugged and he took the fish to prepare it.

"Aren't we the little missionary." He mumbled under his breath. After he set the fire he walked into his tent to put on a clean linen shirt. He didn't want to look this unkempt in front of company. Sable kept an eye on the fish and, coincidently, the man returned when it was done. She cut the fish in two and placed each half on one of the two plates the man had given her. They ate and they stared into the fire.

"My name is Lemio Brixxton, by the way." Lemio said to break the silence.

"Nice to meet you, Lemio."

"The pleasure's all yours." He joked.

She just looked at him and said, "So why are you out here?" She ignored his out stretched hand.

"Well, I'm traveling to Ðëxhorn."

"I'm on my way there as well," she lied, "where are you from?"

"I'm from Kiwae." Lemio answered picking bits of fish out of his beard.

Kiwae was a long ways from Ðëxhorn. He had traveled for almost eight days explaining the worn clothes and his hygiene. He gave a curious and suspicious look at her clothes. Knowing what he was about to ask Sable quickly said,

"I'm from Miko." Miko is a small town that is a lot closer than Kiwae. They never asked each other why they were traveling, it wasn't their business. They came to an agreement that they would be traveling together and Sable created a handmade shelter. The shelter was made of three walls. The walls were made of long, tied together slices of wood she cut from trees with her sword. She placed thick branches on top for a roof. Lemio realized that she was an amazing carpenter and he figured that she was going to Ðëxhorn to sell furniture.

"You're an Bruxellois Elf." He gasped eying her clothes and her pointed ears.

"Nothing gets past you I see." she raised her eyebrow.

"I never thought I'd see one," he said sheepishly, "wait, what is an Bruxellois doing out of her homeland?"

"I don't think it's any of your business." she was serious and Lemio got the hint.

They both settled in their separate accommodations for the night. In the morning, Sable went berry picking and then she cooked two small fish for the two of them. When Lemio came out of his tent he was glad to see food sitting there waiting for him. He nodded a thanks to Sable and then he ate. Yesterday, Sable dried some fish so that they would have food in case they weren't able to get any. Lemio packed up his tent and because he didn't have a horse, they both walked. Sable wanted to run ahead but she didn't want Lemio to know what powers she possessed or anymore unwanted questions. So they continued on their way across the Great Plain. They talked about different things, the trade mainly, and they got to know each other fairly well. After all this talk a small bond of trust grew between them but Sable still didn't tell him her real name. They reached a small village named Samsonville. Lemio and Sable stopped to rest in the local inn for the night. Sable looked at the inn's sign. The sign had a picture of a fox hence the name it was given: The Fox's Den. She walked into the cozy inn and she stepped up to the desk. There weren't any customers but it was obvious that people visited the inn often. All of the furniture was worn and scratched from years of visitors coming in and out. Lemio came in afterwards from a short conversation with a man outside.

"There won't be any meals tonight for our blessed cook has gone amiss." The owner said looking at Lemio's clear signs of long travel.

While Lemio took care of the rooms, Sable drifted off to a window opposite the desk. She looked out of the blue-green glass at a shed next door. There was a dark cloth hanging off the side of the shed. It was old for, the boards were splintered and the red paint was almost completely faded. She focused more on the cloth and she realized that it was a person in a black cloak. The supposable head turned towards her and her hairs stood on end. The creature seemed to be beckoning her. She felt as if hands on her back were gently trying to push her towards it. She took one step closer to the window when Lemio grabbed her by the arm. In a second she spun around and had her sword to his neck.

"Whoa! Take it easy. You need to stop doing that." he said nervously eying the shiny blade.

"Sorry, you can't sneak up on me like that."

"I'll keep that in mind."

Sable looked around the inn lobby and saw that some villagers came in while she was looking out the window. She also noticed that the villagers were looking at her and Lemio. An old man that had been drinking at the bar now looked alarmed. She backed down and sheathed her sword. Sable gave the small crowd a look of admonition. Sable walked up the rickety stairs to her room. When she reached her door she looked down to grab the door knob. It was bronze and it had the inn's insignia inscribed on it.

She opened the door to a dark room. She walked in warily and was reaching out her hand to find a candle. She bumped into the dresser but there weren't any candles. She decided to find the bed and she wandered around until a bed frame hit her shins. She put her hand down on the bed in search of the cover. She kept searching until her hand stopped and she gasped. Her hand landed in a puddle of something sticky. She reached to see where it was coming from but all she found was that the puddle covered the whole middle of the bed. She walked back out into the lighted hall way and saw that her hand was covered in blood. She knocked on the door across from her own and when Lemio opened it she grabbed him by the collar.

"Wha…What's going on Sable?" Lemio brushed Sable's arm off of him.

"There's blood on the bed. A lot of blood."

Lemio went downstairs to get a candle and a flint. He handed Sable the candle and he had to strike the flint a few times until the candle was lit. Sable held the candle out in front of herself and walked towards the bed. As she got closer she noticed that something seemed to be hovering above the bed. Lemio was standing right behind her letting her feel a little safe. She crept up closer and let out a little scream. A young man was hanging from the ceiling over the bed. Blood was dripping from his head and mouth onto the bed below. Lemio quickly covered sable's mouth so as to keep the other customers from being alarmed. Sable turned around and said,

"Who killed him and why?" she questioned eagerly. She did need to practice her swordsmanship.

"Wha..? How would I know?" He was a little annoyed at this unexpected questioning.

"Go down into the lobby and see if there's anybody down there." Lemio said.

Sable went down stairs to make sure that their weren't any people in the lobby and when the coast was clear she gave Lemio the signal. Lemio cut the body down and he carried it out of the inn. Sable looked around corners to make sure that no one was looking and they made their way onto the road. He was dragging it towards a tree outside the village. Sable didn't know why he did this.

"Why didn't you just leave the body in the inn, Lemio?"

"Remember your little scene earlier?" He grunted under the weight of the man .

"Ah, I see now."

If the body was left in the room then the owners would think that Sable had killed the man. All of the customers knew that she had a long sword. She fit the profile of a murderer quite well. Lemio dropped the body at the base of the tree. His shirt was stained with blood.

"So what do we do now?" Sable asked.

"Go on to Ðëxhorn I suppose." Lemio wiped his hair out of his face as he looked to the East.

Sable sighed and began to walk when Lemio said, "I don't need a whiner, so if you're going to do that then leave." Sable gave him a sneering look, huffed, and continued without a word. After awhile of walking along the darkening road Sable asked,

"Who do you think that guy was?"

"The cook. Remember? The owner of the inn said that their cook was missing."

Sable nodded in recollection and said, "When I was looking out the window, before at the inn, I saw something."

"Was it your reflection?" Lemio teased.

"No," She said calmly and then with a release of breath she continued, "I saw a person, well, I thought it was a person anyway, and it seemed like it wanted me to go with it."

Lemio stopped and turned to Sable with a very serious look on his face.

"Was it wearing a black cloak?"

"Yes." She wondered how he knew.

"Shiers." He whispered. Lemio looked over at Sable and knew that she couldn't have heard him.

He covered the whisper with a cough anyways. Shiers. What would they possibly be doing in Etui? Staring at the ground he continued walking in silence. After a few moments of watching Lemio walk off Sable followed. She knew what he had said and wondered why he tried to hide it. She decided to get it out of the way now.

"What are Shiers?" Sable questioned. Lemio pretended not to hear the question. She grabbed him by the arm looking him in the face.

"What are Shiers?"

"I don't know what you're talking about." Lemio swatted her arm off and continued up the path. He didn't know how she could have heard him.

"We both know that I heard what you said."

"I would rather not talk about it." Sable walked out in front of Lemio and unsheathed her sword part way.

"Tell me now." Lemio looked at her and knew that she wasn't even close to kidding.

"Alright but put your sword away first." He said nodding towards her hip. After she sheathed her sword he walked over to a boulder and sat.

"Shiers are spies." He said simply.

"Spies for who?"

"You ask a lot of questions." he said annoyed.

"Spies for _who_?" she laid her hand on her sword hilt.

"For Soto, that's who." He said ignoring the threat. Sable had no idea who this _Soto _character was. Staying in her tree house all the time, she didn't know much about the outside world. She decided that she had asked enough questions for the moment and continued on. They continued down the path until it ended and they were forced to walk through tall golden grass. Sable looked up and the valley continued as far as she could see and knew that they would be traveling for quite some time still. When stars started appearing in the sky they stopped to set up camp. Lemio set up his tent while Sable walked over to a nearby tree for firewood. Sable was stripping a young tree of its bark and branches when she heard a weird sort of sighing noise. Looking over a nearby bush she saw what caused it and gave out a little gasp of surprise.


	3. Chapter Two

Lemio dropped his pack and walked over to Sable.

"What is it?" He thought it was probably a typical girl thing like a snake or something until he looked over her shoulder. An injured warrior was lying on the ground in a fitful sleep. _What is he doing here?_,Sable wondered.

"We might as well put him by the fire to warm him up and I can see if I can heal him." Sable offered.

"Why not." Lemio thought that his journey would be normal and so far it has been everything but. After setting the fire they carried the man to the camp and Lemio laid him on his blanket. Then it hit him.

"Bruxellois Elves don't have the power of healing, do they?" He remembered when he was told stories of the elves by his grandpa and he never said anything about them being able to heal. Lemio thought that she was ignoring him but she didn't hear him because she was concentrating on the man. She saw that his right leg was slightly bent. Looking closer, Sable saw that there was a gash in his leg. She set her bow and quiver down to take her bag off. Lemio watched her as she searched through her bag and pulled out three small drawstring sacks. Then she pulled out a mortar and pestle. She took a pinch from every bag, each one being a different color and texture. Lemio watched her sprinkle the ingredients into the mortar and then crushing them into smaller pieces.

"Can you get me a cup?" Sable asked.

"Uh, yeah. Here you go." He said as he gave her a cup from his own pack. She took it without saying thanks and untied her canteen, pouring water into the cup. She set aside her canteen and placed the cup by the fire. Lemio stared into the fire while Sable watched her cup.

"So, how do you think he got here?" Lemio asked.

"Don't know. Probably on patrol or hunting and got lost. I wonder how he got that cut in his leg."

"That's a good question." Lemio looked at he boy's bloody leg.

"Well, it's relatively new so it will be easy to heal."

When the water started to boil Sable added the ingredients. She set it down and crawled over to the warrior, kneeling by his side. She placed her hands on his leg and became very still. Lemio could see her face in the dim light, it was totally relaxed. He stared in awe. Then he noticed that there was a faint glowing under her hands. The glow slowly faded away and Sable opened her eyes. The man's leg was completely healed and his sleep was calm.

"Wow…" Lemio gasped. Sable didn't answer but gave him a faint smile. She sat back down at her place by the fire. Lemio had forgotten the cup until she raised it and took a sip.

"What's that for?"

"I just wanted some tea." Sable said simply. Lemio laughed, he thought it was for the man. He pulled some dried fish and tossed some to Sable. They ate and Sable told him about all the different teas she knew how to make and the importance of them. Some gave a boost of strength while others got rid of or prevented infection. Soon they both went to bed. Lemio set up his tent and gave a blanket to Sable. She slept close to the man to make sure that he didn't wake up in the middle of the night and try to attack them, or steal something. Lemio looked at the pair sleeping unconsciously wishing that it was himself lying next to her. They slept all night peacefully. Morning was creeping through the trees when Lemio was awoken by loud grunts and the clanging of metal. He jumped off the ground, grabbed his dagger, and ran through the tent flap. The warrior was awake and swinging his axe at Sable who parried every blow. The man's grunts became increasingly loud as he tired. He hesitated for a moment watching the fight. Sable was very good with a sword. She hardly used any effort at all to block the blows, although, Lemio sensed the warrior wasn't fighting with full force.

"Hey! What's going on?" He yelled above the racket. They both stopped to look at him keeping their weapons pointed at each other. Lemio saw that the man was older. In the firelight he looked like a young man but now he could see that the man was much older than himself. His tanned face was beginning to show the lines of age and weariness. His hair and beard also began to gray in some areas.

"He attacked me obviously." she said coolly. The man scowled at her.

"She was trying to steal my money!" The man grunted pointing an accusing finger at Sable. Lemio was surprised at this.

"I did no such thing! I found it when I went to get some more fire wood." She explained matter-of-factly. "And I'm not going to give it to him until he takes back what he said." She shot a dirty look at the warrior. The man smiled and said,

"I'm not taking it back."

"What did he say, Sable?" Lemio asked.

"He called me a filthy Bruxellois Elf. He said that my people are cowards." Sable's eyes were furious as she stared back at the old warrior.

"It true," the warrior grunted, "why else would they be hiding in their blessed 'home land'?" Lemio knew that warriors and elves had a particularly bad relationship. There was a war hundreds of years ago between the Kingdoms of Ohyêr and Ðumnoniæ. The elves were friends with the Ðumnoniæ Kingdom so they helped them fight against Ohyêr. When they grew close to failure the elves found out why the men were feuding and let the Ðumnoniæ go to the dogs. The men thought they left because they were cowards but no one knows the real reason except for the elves.

"You're from Ðumnoniæ aren't you?" Lemio asked.

"Yes I am." The warrior said glancing at Sable who was still staring at him.

"That explains it." Lemio said under his breath. "Give him his money back."

"What? Why?" Sable snapped her attention back on Lemio.

"Just do it!" He said. Sable gave it back, she didn't want it and she was already bored of the rude man. She reached out her arm holding the sack and the man snatched it. He immediately opened it and started counting the contents. Grunting in approval he stuffed it in his shirt and sat next to the weak fire. Lemio added more firewood and sat down looking at the warrior.

"What's your name?" He asked.

"Borick, you?" The man was poking the fire with a twig.

"Lemio. That there's Sable." Lemio said nodding in her direction. Borick ignored the introduction. Sable sneered at him.

"Er… What are you doing out here?" Lemio asked. He wanted to distract Borick's attention from Sable.

"Well, I-I was out in the woods lookin' for a place ter rest when… when I tripped o'er a large rock an' fell." He said not looking at Lemio. Sable knew he was lying. She figured that he probably didn't want to say that he lost a fight with someone. Not that this story was any better.

"Yeah, I wasn't watchin' where I was goin'." Borick said. Borick continued to poke the fire with his twig while Lemio pulled out his dagger and began sharpening it. He looked up at Borick and asked,

"So, ah, where ya headed then?"

"Oh. I'm goin' ter Kingsville. Hopin' ter see ifin' they need a silversmith. I could use the money." Lemio didn't bother asking him why he was wearing warrior armor still and not going back to Ðumnoniæ.

"Well hey! We're headed to Ðëxhorn . Kingsville isn't far off from there. You can travel with us if you like." Sable gave him a pleading look. She didn't want this racist warrior waddling after them.

"Yeah, I guess that'd be alrigh'." Borick shot Sable a resentful look then said,

"_She's_ not comin' with us, is she?"

"Yes I am." Sable said coldly. "Looks like we'll be stuck together. As for me, I just hope that I don't get infected with some malady." Her lip curled in a nasty sneer. Lemio could see the loathing in her piercing eyes.

"Oh yer do, do ya? I don't even want ter consider what I could get from you. I hope this trip won' be long, I might become a coward ifin I stay around you fer too long." Borick retorted. They both jolted up glaring at each other, weapon in hand.

"Hey!" Lemio yelled. They both sat down grudgingly, itching to spill each other's blood. Lemio started packing his tent while Sable gathered her belongings and Borick put out the fire. By the time the sun was peaking over the treetops, the trio headed off. Lemio and Sable walked together as Borick trotted far off to the side trying to keep up with the pace. If Sable had to travel with this warrior then she was going to make it hard for him. They had to stop often so Borick could catch his breath. When the sun was overhead they stopped at a small lake to refill their canteens. Sable splashed the cool water on her face and looked up to a beautiful sight.

There was a stallion standing at the edge of the water. He bent down to take a drink, his beautiful long mane falling over his face. The mane was a brilliant copper like the rest of the horse. The tips of the mane and tail were black and wavy. Sable never thought that such a gorgeous horse could exist. The stallion lifted its head from the water and gazed at Sable. Sable had expected it to walk away but it seemed to be frozen. Only the horse's mane and tail were swaying in the gentle breeze. Sable started to stand up slowly with liquid movements. By now Lemio and Borick were watching Sable. Standing at full height Sable crept up to the horse and stood about five feet from it. Lemio looked at Sable's face; she was smiling and she had a look of understanding in her eyes. Without warning the horse flipped its head back and let out low calm neigh. The horse was beckoning her! Sable approached until she was standing directly in front of the horse. She lifted her hand and to their surprise the horse stepped forward. Borick and Lemio gaped at her.


	4. Chapter Three

Sable said something but Lemio couldn't make it out. It sounded like some strange language. He continued to watch her as she slowly walked to the side of the horse. She said something again and then jumped onto the horse's back. Borick had never seen someone tame a wild horse that fast. Sable lead the horse towards them smiling.

"How did you do that?" Lemio's face showed mixed confusion and wonderment.

"It is so strange," she said, "Father said that he would come to me one day."

"What? Now how would yer father know that?" Borick said scornfully.

"I don't know." She said as she stroked the horse's mane.

"My father told me that a horse would come to me one day. He said that the horse befriended a member of our family long, long ago. The horse saved his life while in battle once so in return he gave the horse the Gift of Life" She looked at Lemio and Borick.

"What's the Gift of Life? Does it make you live forever or something?" Lemio asked.

"Yes."

"I need to get me some of that." Lemio said to himself. Sable laughed.

"Elves," Borick said mockingly and continued to mumble under his breath. Sable shot him a hateful look but ignored the insults. Lemio was gently stroking the horse's muzzle with a confuse look. Sable watched him waiting for his question.

"Well, " he said, "how come the horse came to you?"

"My Father said that it could sense when a family member was outside the Homeland and that he would always come to our aid." Lemio didn't bother to question how the horse could sense that because he probably wouldn't understand it. Since there were already stopped they took a little break to get something to drink. They all sat in silence. Sable looked up at the falling sun.

"We can still travel about three more miles if we leave right now." Lemio didn't say anything and Borick gave a grunt of condemnation for being told what to do. They continued to travel towards Ðëxhorn.

The valley had few trees so they were in the open and made easy targets. The _shier_ was hovering high in the sky about a mile back watching the group. It's tattered black cloak rippling in the breeze though the being itself was eerily still. It continued to follow the group until the sun was setting keeping distance. It judged their abilities to fight and began to move in as darkness fell. The group kept walking until they came to another tree and made camp. Sable had the tingling feeling all afternoon that something was nearing them. She didn't inform the others of it in case she was just getting paranoid.

As the group slept the shier hovered above the tree looking down on them. This woman might hold the answers that his master is looking for. She might prove to be a problem to get control of. The old warrior would be easy to overcome. He would tire quickly and his agility would surly be poor. Then the shier turned its gaze on Lemio. He was a healthy young man full of life. The shier longed to feast on his young soul. With its eyes concentrated on Lemio, it slowly drifted down to attack.

Sorry this addition came late and is shorter than usual. I have been having a bit of a rough time right now which gave me writer's block. Next chapter will be a lot longer I promise!


End file.
